New Frontiers #69

[GM Mad]

New Frontiers #69

Most of the Guardians are now on the ground floor of Fort Fletcher. They’ve determined that a small group of orcs has taken refuge in the warehouse. The doors to the warehouse are closed. Tracks are located by Arocken who indicates that Dire Wolves are down in the underground horse corral. Argent seals off the ramp to the underground corral with a Web.

While the adventures move closer to the warehouse doors, Chareos casts Wraithform and moves in underneath the door. Those down here await his return.


The rest of the group awaits the outcome on the second level. Yusef decides to scout out a few chambers and targets the eating area. The dining hall (Area #222) is intact for the most part. Some of the tables and chairs have been overturned, but there is no fire damage.

The kitchen and pantry are in similar shape. Unknown individuals came in, threw some stuff around, and then left. Any food has long since been taken and/or eaten by vermin. Apart from sitting unused for over fifty years, the kitchen is not in bad shape. A little work will be needed to make it usable again.


Back downstairs, Chareos slips past the warehouse doors in Wraithform. The first thing he notes is that the doors do not seal particularly tight and a breeze can be felt. About ten feet in, a series of crates has been stacked up across from the doors. They effectively conceal the doors, but also serve as a buffer for the cold breeze.

Moving past the crates, Chareos can see the orcs. They are spread out across the rest of the chamber and there are actually two campfires. Turns out that there are nine orcs here and three orogs, or elite orcs. The elite orcs are off by one campfire by themselves. Two of these orcs wear plate mail armor and one has an eye patch over one eye. The third orog wears only robes. The robed orog seems to be asleep at the moment.

Most of the regular orcs are asleep, but a few are huddled close to the campfire for warmth. Those who are awake seem bored and seek only to keep warm.

Chareos is able to return to the others without any problem.


Now what?

[Chareos]

Chareos

Soon there is a debate whether Argent or he should go. Chareos merely says nothing as he can handle himself if he were to go. Soon Validar issues the order to go scout. “Be back in a moment,” he says, right before he casts his spell.

With his form taking a whispy smoke affect Chareos moves forward underneath the doors themselves. Coming up behind them he finds it strange that a bunch of crates stand before him, until he feels the tinge of cold touch his frame.

Moving past the crates but using them as cover just in case, he looks about the room seeing two campfires. Giving them a careful look he sees 9 orcs huddled around a fire; some sleeping, some awake. Transfering his gaze to the next group he sees three orogs, one of which is missing his eye!!! After watching them for a few moments he gathers that one is still slumbering.

Having done his job he backtracks to the doors and slips underneath them yet again to his waiting companions.

Reaching the others he begins to speak causing the whispy form of his body to return to his human form.

“There are two groups of orcs. Nine at the left and 3 on the right. The nine shouldn’t be too much trouble but the remaining three vex me a little. They were bigger than the others, two of which wear platemail, the other simple robes whom I believe was sleeping. There was something odd about one of the fighters for he wore an eye patch like the orc in Coruglain."

"There is nothing out of the ordinary from what I saw, though crates lay stacked 10 feet high and probably ten feet in from the door.”

[Validar]

Sir Validar -

Argent manages to successfully block the underground passage with her Web. For the moment, we will not have any concerns from that direction, as long as there are no handlers or guards with fire.

"Arocken and Sherra, we need to keep watch on the web to make sure that no one down there could eliminate it with fire and then attack us from the rear. Keep your guard on there," he says pointing towards the web with his unsheathed sword.


Eventually, Chareos returns in his wispy Wraithformed condition. He changes back to his regular form (although I think that the interpretation that any speaking breaks the spell is incorrect; it says a single word, which would be a pre-disposed word. Otherwise, it would say that any word reverts the caster to normal).

“There are two groups of orcs. Nine at the left and 3 on the right. The nine shouldn’t be too much trouble but the remaining three vex me a little. They were bigger than the others, two of which wear platemail, the other simple robes whom I believe was sleeping. There was something odd about one of the fighters for he wore an eye patch like the orc in Coruglain."

"There is nothing out of the ordinary from what I saw, though crates lay stacked 10 feet high and probably ten feet in from the door.”

"Interesting. It truly appears they are not the least concerned with an attack, despite the fact that their assault on Corunglain was blunted. Either they do not know of our initial victory there or they do not care."

"I am not much concerned about the regular orcs either, although their leaders have proven recently to be potentially very powerful and dangerous enemies. I think we should continue to error on the side of prudence for the moment."

"Ivy can cast her silence on one of Farian's knives. Then he can move in and open the doors. With the crates blocking view and no noise, the only effect the orcs are likely to notice would be the breeze increasing. He can then slip around stealthily and throw his knife into the midst of the sleeping leaders. If they are spellcasters, they will have to move to cast their spells and with luck they may not even hear the initial attack against them."

"If we have another Silence available, then it could be cast on Grondar directly, which would cover some of our advance and allow him to tie up any enemy spellcaster due to his speed."

"Grondar and I will move in first against the leaders, as we have the most mobility. Farian could well be in position to attack from stealth and without use of spells, we would seem to have a strong advantage. Aria, Acerion and Chareos can advance on the rest of the orcs. Argent can remain in reserve, using her Flight to have mobility and a greater view of the situation and offer help as needed. Perhaps a few well-placed Magic Missiles could be helpful if the leaders are as worthy foes as Dek."

"Argent can fly, so she should take Farian's weapon to Ivy for the Silence spell and Grondar can easily move up to that level with the Spider Climb to see if any of the other clerics also have a Silence. Once they both return, then Farian will move out, followed by Grondar and myself and the rest. Strike fast and strike hard. They are the enemy and they have slaughtered our innocent women and children. Mercy is for their god to determine for them."

Validar then waits for the two to return, ready for battle.

[farian]

Farian

Sherra wrote
Sherra smiles in return, replying in Dwarvish, <"So it would seem.">

Farian does a double-take as he is replied to in his native tongue and smiles widely exposing his gold tooth. <“Seems you are full of surprises Lass.’> Farian finds himself beginning to like this human; he hasn’t met many that have spoken dwarvish.

Seeing Argent come forward Farian lowers his crossbow and asks, “What is it Lass?” He soon is asked to hand over one of his knives though he looks somewhat perplexed at the beautiful mage. “Beggin your pardon Argent, but why would I carry a kid's toy when I have this?!” he says as he pats his war hammer that is strapped to his belt. “Perhaps a crossbow bolt would suffice?”

Whatever Validar asks Farian to carry and hurl at the Orogs he will do so. Hopefully making it land 3-5 ft. in front of them.

(Farian Carries only a Warhammer and Crossbow w/bolts.)

[Grondar]

Grondar:

Now comes the waiting. Everyone seems to hold their breath as Chareos enters the orc hideout to scout their strength. Upon his return, Grondar sighs in relief that he encountered no trouble.

According to his report, their opponents are few in number. However, they have what appear to be three leaders; one of whom is almost certainly a priest of their foul god. Another might be a mage, if that can be believed of such creatures.

The crates are a barrier that will have to be negotiated, but Grondar is confident that his magically-enhanced speed will resolve that easily enough.

Seeing Argent come forward Farian lowers his crossbow and asks, “What is it Lass?” He soon is asked to hand over one of his knives though he looks somewhat perplexed at the beautiful mage. “Beggin your pardon Argent, but why would I carry a kid's toy when I have this?!” he says as he pats his war hammer that is strapped to his belt. “Perhaps a crossbow bolt would suffice?”

The dwarf's comment brings an amused smile to Grondar's face, but he says nothing.

"If we have another Silence available, then it could be cast on Grondar directly, which would cover some of our advance and allow him to tie up any enemy spellcaster due to his speed."

"That would remove my ability to call on the blessings of my patron, as well. Are you certain that is what you want?" Grondar asks. If Validar confirms, then he shrugs his shoulders and zips upstairs to ask the others if any have that spell available.

"Grondar and I will move in first against the leaders, as we have the most mobility. Farian could well be in position to attack from stealth and without use of spells, we would seem to have a strong advantage. Aria, Acerion and Chareos can advance on the rest of the orcs. Argent can remain in reserve, using her Flight to have mobility and a greater view of the situation and offer help as needed. Perhaps a few well-placed Magic Missiles could be helpful if the leaders are as worthy foes as Dek."

"The one with the eyepatch is sure to be a priest of Gruumsh," Grondar says to Validar. "Might I suggest that you take him and I take the one in the robes? Hopefully that will allow us to take both of the spellcasters out quickly, and we can then turn on the remaining leader. Agreed?"

Once the decisions are made and preparations finalized, Grondar gets in position to follow the dwarven scout in.

[Yusef]

Yusef:

Yusef roots around in the eating and food preparation areas, but finds little of real use. However, it should not require a great amount of work to make the areas usable again.

When done, he returns to the rest of the anchor group. "How are they doing down there? Still busy with the orcs?"

"That would remove my ability to call on the blessings of my patron, as well. Are you certain that is what you want?" Grondar asks. If Validar confirms, then he shrugs his shoulders and zips upstairs to ask the others if any have that spell available.

If this comes to pass, then Yusef will let Grondar know that he has the requested spell and cast it on the speedy dwarf.

With nothing better to do, Yusef will then go have a look around the officer's quarters that were marked on the map.

[Validar]

Sir Validar -

"If we have another Silence available, then it could be cast on Grondar directly, which would cover some of our advance and allow him to tie up any enemy spellcaster due to his speed."

"That would remove my ability to call on the blessings of my patron, as well. Are you certain that is what you want?" Grondar asks. If Validar confirms, then he shrugs his shoulders and zips upstairs to ask the others if any have that spell available.

Validar has already considered Grondar's concern. "I think that you may want to cast any protection spells or defensive spells now before receiving the Silence. And as for that, you could have it cast on one of your carried items, rather than yourself, so that you could discard the Silence effects should that be necessary. I would not suggest doing so on your main weapon, but perhaps on a secondary weapon or some other thing you carry."


"The one with the eyepatch is sure to be a priest of Gruumsh," Grondar says to Validar. "Might I suggest that you take him and I take the one in the robes? Hopefully that will allow us to take both of the spellcasters out quickly, and we can then turn on the remaining leader. Agreed?"

"I too thought the one-eye would be a priest of their foul godling. I like your suggestion just fine. The robed one is yours and the one-eye is mine." Validar gives the dwarf a reassurig clap on the shoulder before he heads up the ropes to those above.


When Grondar returns it is clear that he does seem to have a Silence upon him as well, so they are very well prepared to destroy the enemy orcs which hold this place. Validar positions everyone and they begin the attack.

[Argent]

Argent:

"Don't fret, milady. I'm sure we can arrange to replace whatever is damaged," Grondar says to beautiful wizardess.

“Why thank you, Grondar. You’re a gentleman.”


Plans are finalized and Chareos is off to explore. It is decided to cast Silence on Farian’s dagger.

Seeing Argent come forward Farian lowers his crossbow and asks, “What is it Lass?” He soon is asked to hand over one of his knives though he looks somewhat perplexed at the beautiful mage. “Beggin your pardon Argent, but why would I carry a kid's toy when I have this?!” he says as he pats his war hammer that is strapped to his belt. “Perhaps a crossbow bolt would suffice?”

“What kind of thief doesn’t have a dagger?” Argent wonders aloud. “Very well, the crossbow bolt will have to do.”

Argent will fly up and get the bolt silenced by Ivy and then return it to Farian.

Once the attack begins, Argent will fly in and go up near the ceiling. She’ll let the battle unfold for a moment and should any of the enemy seem especially dangerous, she’ll target them with a Magic Missile.

[Grondar]

Grondar:

“Why thank you, Grondar. You’re a gentleman.”

"You're welcome, Argent. Always a pleasure helping one's friends."

Validar has already considered Grondar's concern. "I think that you may want to cast any protection spells or defensive spells now before receiving the Silence. And as for that, you could have it cast on one of your carried items, rather than yourself, so that you could discard the Silence effects should that be necessary. I would not suggest doing so on your main weapon, but perhaps on a secondary weapon or some other thing you carry."

"Okay. That works." Grondar races upstairs. Learning that Yusef has the spell handy, Grondar pulls a coin from his pocket, the gold glinting in the torchlight. Once the coin is enchanted, he returns to the lower level.

"I too thought the one-eye would be a priest of their foul godling. I like your suggestion just fine. The robed one is yours and the one-eye is mine." Validar gives the dwarf a reassurig clap on the shoulder before he heads up the ropes to those above.

"Excellent! Let us remove this little impediment from our path."

[Validar]

Sir Validar -

“What kind of thief doesn’t have a dagger?” Argent wonders aloud. “Very well, the crossbow bolt will have to do.”

"Indeed," Validar says to himself, incredulously. "I would think that every person who ever stepped one foot outside of a city would carry a knife. They are a necessary tool, especially out in the wilds." 'Dwarves', Validar thinks to himself.


"I too thought the one-eye would be a priest of their foul godling. I like your suggestion just fine. The robed one is yours and the one-eye is mine." Validar gives the dwarf a reassurig clap on the shoulder before he heads up the ropes to those above.

"Excellent! Let us remove this little impediment from our path."

"Yes, we have tarried perhaps too long for so small a number of enemies. However, we will soon eliminate this enemy from those who can continue to threaten our realms."

As soon as Grondar and Argent return, we will commence with the attack.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

On the ground level of the fortress, some of the Guardians begin their attack against the encamped orcs. Silence has been cast on items carried by Farian and Grondar.

As the dwarven thief moves towards the warehouse doors, noise and movement attracts your attention. One of the dire wolves has wandered up the ramp and has encountered the web! Through the webbing you can see the horse sized wolf! It has grayish fur and golden eyes. Other than its great size, it appears similar to its smaller cousins. The wolf begins to howl! The web seems to be containing the wolf so far.


Back at the fortress the attack begins! The situation within the warehouse remains the same as Chareos described it earlier. The stacked crates serve only as a windbreak. They do not interfere with the warehouse doors and are easy to circle around.

Farian fires his crossbow bolt into the midst of the three orogs while Sir Validar and Grondar rushes them. Two of the orogs in plate mail stand around the campfire, while an orog in robes lies beside it. The flames of the campfires flicker wildly in the suddenly increased breeze.

As Grondar and Validar bear down on the orogs, the two standing ones become aware of their presence and go to defend themselves. Validar strikes the priest and does damage to him. The Gruumsh follower is forced back several steps but remains standing.

The robed orog struggles to rise to his feet, but Grondar is on him first. TruthGiver strikes true, slamming the orog back to the ground. The remaining orog slashes at Validar with his broadsword, but misses.


On the other side of the warehouse Sir Acerion, Chareos and Aria rush to engage the orcs. Three stand around their own campfire, while half a dozen others are slumbering in bedrolls. Sir Acerion targets a large orc in chain mail and strikes him with the Axe of the Valorous. The orc is damaged, but not out. He lashes back with a longsword without success.

Aria targets an orc decked out in leather armor. Her axe bits deep into the orc, but it is not a killing blow. A dagger appears in the orc's hand, but its strike is deflected by Aria’s shield.

Chareos’ orc has the appearance of being strong and young. He wears leather armor and a flail is his weapon of choice. Chareos smashes him with his staff forcing the young orc back a few steps. The orc retaliates with his flail, but is wide of the mark.


Argent flies into the warehouse and moves higher up near the ceiling. She casts Magic Missile and five of her sparkling projectiles slam into the orog with the broadsword. He remains standing.


One level up, the remainder of the Guardians await the outcome of the battle. Yusef continues to explore and this time targets the officers’ quarters. The first room he comes across (#215) was shared by five junior officers. The room was ransacked like all on this level, but does not have the full scale of destruction as seen elsewhere. Some of the furniture might be salvageable.

The next three rooms (#216-218) were shared by three men each. Curtains and screens can be set up to allow some privacy. More ransacking occurred and some of the furniture has been damaged. One of the mattresses has been pulled apart and it appears that small creatures used it as a nest in the past. Mice or possibly rats were the culprits.

The commander’s office has a desk and several chairs. Papers were scattered across the floor in the distant past and most of it has rotted beyond recognition. The commander’s private room has seen the same treatment as the others. The only real difference is that the furniture is of better quality than seen elsewhere.


GM Notes:

That covers the first round of the attack. The regular orcs are all outside the area of silence. The slumbering ones are stirring and will soon join their comrades in the fighting.

Now what?

[Validar]

Sir Validar -

The attack begins as expected, despite the sudden howling of one of the Dire Wolves. The Silence from Farian does its work and together with that and the Silence also on Grondar, they advance on the orogs soundlessly.

The orogs notice them before engaging, but that doesn't help them. Validar slashes the priest of Gruumsh. The force of the blow staggers the priest and forces him back several steps. Grondar likewise smashes the robed orog as it struggles to its feet. The soundless blow knocks the orog back to the ground.

Validar is aware of the other orog in plate mail and sees Argent's Magic Missiles strike it from the corner of his eye. The orog strikes at the noble warrior, but his shield keeps the humanoid's broadsword at bay. Validar continues press the priest and moves forward to re-engage him, trying to kill the Gruumsh follower before attacking the other orog. As Grondar's Silence keeps any sound from reaching them or being made, Validar doesn't bother with any battlecries or orders.

He steals a quick glance to the other battle, but is sure that the others can hold their own just fine.

[Chareos]

Chareos

Running forward with the others he spots a few of those awake. With Acerion and Aria already engaged Chareos sets his sight on a young well-built orc who brandishes a flail before him.

Chareos greets the orc with a powerful blow from his quarterstaff causing the orc to take several steps back. As the orc regains his footing Chareos swirls his quarterstaff before him getting ready to strike.

Chareos will strike out at the orc with his quarterstaff again.

[farian]

Farian

Coming around the crates Farian fires his Silenced bolt into the ranks of the three Orogs. He watches as Validar and Grondar enter the fray.

A smile comes to his faces as he watches Grondar slam an orog back to the ground then his gaze falls on Validar being tag-teamed. ‘Humans always in need of help’, he thinks to himself.

Bringing his shield to bear he moves forward to join the others. Seeing a rare opportunity he circles around behind the broadsword-carrying Orog and bashes him in the back with his Warhammer.

[Acerion]

Acerion:

On the other side of the warehouse Sir Acerion, Chareos and Aria rush to engage the orcs. Three stand around their own campfire, while half a dozen others are slumbering in bedrolls. Sir Acerion targets a large orc in chain mail and strikes him with the Axe of the Valorous. The orc is damaged, but not out. He lashes back with a longsword without success.

Rushing forward with Chareos and Aria, Acerion chooses one of the larger orcs as his initital target. Armed and armored, the orc still can not deflect Acerion's blow, and his axe strikes deep into the humanoid. However, the orc is fairly resiliant and remains standing, attempting to strike the paladin, but with no success.

Spinning his axe around for another slicing attack, Acerion was hoping the three of them would have felled these first orcs quickly, but all remain standing. Still, it would only be three to one odds if all the orcs awoke and were combat ready immediately, and Acerion is not worried about those odds.

Hissing from beneath his helmet, Acerion puts his might behind this second swing and hopes to bring down his foe on this pass.

[Sherra]

Sherra:

Farian does a double-take as he is replied to in his native tongue and smiles widely exposing his gold tooth. <“Seems you are full of surprises Lass.’>

<"Aye, that I am,"> Sherra replies with a beaming smile.

“What kind of thief doesn’t have a dagger?” Argent wonders aloud. “Very well, the crossbow bolt will have to do.”

"I prefer knives myself," Sherra says without being too obvious at showing off her collection. "I find they're much better balanced."

"Arocken and Sherra, we need to keep watch on the web to make sure that no one down there could eliminate it with fire and then attack us from the rear. Keep your guard on there," he says pointing towards the web with his unsheathed sword.

"Understood," Sherra replies to Validar's order and then nods at Arocken, whom she finds to be her partner once more. She likes Arocken's no-nonsense approach she's seen of him so far, and she feels comfortable knowing he'll do whatever it takes to see a situation through.

As the dwarven thief moves towards the warehouse doors, noise and movement attracts your attention. One of the dire wolves has wandered up the ramp and has encountered the web! Through the webbing you can see the horse sized wolf! It has grayish fur and golden eyes. Other than its great size, it appears similar to its smaller cousins. The wolf begins to howl! The web seems to be containing the wolf so far.

"Maybe I should've taken one of those protective spells after all," Sherra says softly after recovering from the initial suprise of the wolf's appearance. Blessed Tymora, those are huge Sherra thinks to herself.

The others are gone, already inside and engaging the orcs. Sherra keeps a vigilant watch on the wolf with her bow at the ready. She quickly sets one of her throwing knives to be gripped by her teeth before returning both hands to the bow.

[Grondar]

Grondar:

Validar gestures the order to attack, and Grondar races inside behind Farian. Zipping around the crates, he reaches the robed orog before the creature can even gain its feet. Grondar smashes down mightily with TruthGiver, knocking the orog back to the ground.

It is so strange, fighting in absolute silence...

Pausing for a moment, Grondar attempts to assess the condition of his opponent.
____________________________________________________________
Not sure by the text: Does it look to Grondar like the robed orog is still capable of rising (merely stunned), or does he appear to be down for the time being (unconscious/dead)?

[Yusef]

Yusef:

With some time to spare, Yusef takes a quick look through the officers' quarters in the northeast corner of the floor. On the first pass, he finds little of note, but the quarters themselves appear to be useable with minimal work.

Stepping back out into the hall, Yusef can hear that the fighting has started below, so he decides to look a little more. Yusef makes a more thorough search of the commander's office and room, as those seem the most likely place to find something of interest.

[GM Mad]

Not sure by the text: Does it look to Grondar like the robed orog is still capable of rising (merely stunned), or does he appear to be down for the time being (unconscious/dead)?

Looking back I was vague on that point. The robed orog is still active. He was trying to stand when the force of Grondar's blow knocked him back to the ground. Consider him a foe capable of either attacking or defending himself.

[Grondar]

Grondar:

Seeing that his robed opponent is still functional, Grondar steps forward before the creature can rise. Straddling the orog, he attempts to hold his foe down with his shield while striking again with TruthGiver.

[Lyonessa]

Lyonessa:

Not involved directly in the battle, and being relatively safe for the moment, it would be easy for Lyonessa's mind to wander to other places and people. She doesn't allow it to happen though and remains alert. Some of the battle is happening in magical silence, so should assistance be needed, it's going to be difficult to determine in time.

Lyonessa makes sure everyone else is accounted for and that we have no other surprises. Because of this, she keeps her mace handy.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The fighting continues on the ground floor of Fort Fletcher. The encamped orcs have been caught off guard, but none of have yet to fall. The leaders of the orcs are a trio of orogs. Two wear plate mail and one is obviously a priest of the foul orcish god Gruumsh. The other wears only robes.

Now having reached their foes, the Guardians can make use of their full attacks. Sir Validar’s blade lashes out twice. With the first hit the Gruumsh Priest goes down, with the second the other plate mailed orc falls.

Grondar slams TruthGiver into the prone orog and puts him out.

The combat with the regular orcs carries on hot and heavy. Sir Acerion nearly cuts the orc he was fighting in half with his Holy Weapon. One of the orcs that had been laying down tries to stab him with a military fork, but the attack is easy avoided. Acerion lashes out again and the fork bearer is dropped.

Aria embeds her axe in the leather-clad orc and he too goes down in the throws of death. Another orc attacks, his bastard sword whooshing just beside Aria. Her axe strikes true again and the orc is felled.

Chareos smashes his staff into the orc he was fighting. The orc is sent backwards and hard to the floor. He lands and is unmoving. A second orc rushes him, but Chareos bashes his head in with his weapon. That orc goes down as well.

Farian adjusts his course since the orog he was targeting has been eliminated. His warhammer slams hard into another orc who was scrambling to his feet, sending him back down again.

The last two orcs decide that discretion is the better part of valor and make a break for it. Argent casts another Magic Missile, spreads her missiles, and drops both of the orcs. The fight is over.


Outside the warehouse, Sherra and Arocken keep an eye on the web and the giant wolf that is howling behind it. Unexpectedly, Arocken sets his bow aside and approaches the Web.

“Wolves are very misunderstood creatures,” the elfin ranger states. “They are not normally particularly dangerous to humanoids. These ones here are just larger versions of the regular wolf.”

Speaking in soothing tones, Arocken tries to calm the wolf. His efforts seem to work and the wolf begins to calm down.

“You just have to know how to talk to them.”


Meanwhile one floor up, Yusef continues his explorations. He concentrates on the commander’s office. The desk is filled with papers, mostly of the mundane sort. Cargo manifests for arriving supplies, requisitions for needed supplies. There are a series of orders for more and more men to be sent to the eastern front as the war with Keln rages on. The humanoid attacks against the fort continue to increase and the fort commander wonders just how long they can hold.

There is one unusual thing Yusef finds. On the bottom of a drawer on a folded piece of paper is the following sentence:

“Sky bolts shall lead the way”


The rest of the Guardians await the results of the battle below. Lyonessa does a head count and finds that Yusef is not among them, but he has been wandering off. She also realizes that there was a halfling among them earlier, the Master Finder Rat. He’s nowhere to be seen!

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Not all of the orcs and orogs are dead, but are ‘hovering on death’s door’. They can be saved should you so desire.

What are you going to do about the big wolves?

Now what?

[Validar]

Sir Validar -

Validar slashes the orog priest and seeing that it falls, he also attacks the other orog. This one too goes down in a bloody heap. The remaining orog is also dealt with by Grondar.

Looking about, Validar sees the rest of the orcs easily dealt with as well. "Perhaps we were being a bit overcautious," the noble warrior says to himself. "I shall do well to remember that."


Moving to the middle of the room, Validar addresses the group. "Lord Acerion, please secure the warehouse and make sure the enemy bodies are properly dealt with. Argent, would you let the anchor group know that we have defeated the orcs? Then go on up and tell Corley and Olivia to join us on the second level. Chareos, you can come with me as well to the uppe level so that we can try and place the defensive blocks back in place."

Validar will then check on the situation in the yard with Sherra and Arocken. There he finds that Arocken has seemed to have made friends with one of the Dire Wolves. "Can you speak to it? Can you find out if there are more humanoids down below? Let me know what you find out. I will be on the second level working on the defensive gate."

Validar will then climb the rope to the next level. There he will address the group that is there. "We managed to defeat the orcs and while the place may not be completely secure, I think it wise to start to put the defenses back in place."

Upon being told that Rat and Yusef have wandered off, he will add, "Those with interest can continue to explore this level. We will need to do so anyway. When Corley arrives, we will try to move these blocks back into place and close up the gates."

"Once that is completed, we need to begin the process of repairing the damages done here. We will need to explore the caverns that the Dire Wolves are in to make sure that the humanoids are not using an underground route to come here. And we will need flyers to do reconaissance on the approaching enemy and see how far they are away. I would prefer to take the attacks to them if possible, rather than wait here for their arrival."

And for those who may be curious, there is a newly posted pic of the Lady Gabriella Allonica in the pictures thread of this forum.

[Chareos]

Chareos

Lashing out with his quarterstaff Chareos sends his opponent down to the ground, laying on the ground unmoving. Out of the corner of his eye he catches movement coming toward him. He turns quickly and strikes out catching an orc in the face with his quarterstaff with a loud crack! It falls at his feet.

Looking around he sees the rest of the orcs and Orogs dealt with; he begins to move to the fire warming his hands before Validar begins to issue orders.

Rubbing his hands before the fire he raises his head as he hears his name. “Chareos, you can come with me as well to the upper level so that we can try and place the defensive blocks back in place."

“As you wish. Perhaps once we are done we could then search the upper chamber that was closed off to us.(Helm’s temple)"

Chareos will then move up to the the second floor and begin helping Validar move the stones into proper position. Hearing Validar’s wishes Chareos will say, “I’ll plan my spells accordingly then.” Once that is done, he will see about moving the stone block to Helm's temple area.

[farian]

Farian

Seeing the orogs taken care of Farian moves in on the orcs where the others are laying into them. Coming up on an orc scrambling to his feet Farian slams the humanoid back to the ground with his war hammer.
He sees two others have enough and turn and run for the exit; turning and following them with his stumpy legs he slows down as he sees Argent take them down with her magic.

‘Nice shooting, Lass,” he says as he raises his hammer in acknowledgement.

Soon after Validar issues his wishes to be carried out. Not hearing any order directed to him he stays behind with Lord Acerion helping to strip the dead of armor, weapons and begin helping dispose of the bodies.

[Yusef]

Yusef:

Shuffling through the papers on and in the commander's desk, Yusef doesn't find anything that appears likely to help them. However, attached to the bottom of one of the drawers, he finds a slip of paper with a cryptic message, "Sky bolts shall lead the way."

Yusef spends several moments pondering the words. It occurs to him that they could very well reference what he found already: the statues in the temple pointing toward the small hole in the wall. It is possible that there are other implications as well. Yusef determines to keep it in mind, especially in looking for a means of access to that hidden room.

Not long after, he returns to the center of the level, where he finds that Validar and some of the others have returned. There he learns that the orcs below have been defeated. Validar wants to begin securing the fort against outside attack.

Upon being told that Rat and Yusef have wandered off, he will add, "Those with interest can continue to explore this level. We will need to do so anyway. When Corley arrives, we will try to move these blocks back into place and close up the gates."

Yusef nods. "I have searched the dining facilities and the officer's quarters. While there was nothing particularly notable other than this slip of paper, I believe they can all be returned to normal use with moderate effort."

That said, Yusef shows the message to Validar. "I believe it refers to what I already found in the Temple of Heironeous; the lightning bolts held by the statues point to a small hole in the wall which leads back to a room in the side of the mountain that was not marked on the maps. I believe there is a very good chance that the room will lead us to the Shield we seek."

Once that is done, unless Validar gives instructions otherwise, Yusef will continue investigating the rooms on this level.

[Grondar]

Grondar:

A second strike with TruthGiver finishes the robed orog at Grondar's feet. He looks over to see if Validar needs any assistance just in time to watch the Guardians' leader eliminate both of his opponents.

Looking about the room, Grondar can see that their teammates have subdued the remaining orcs. The battle is over.

Thinking that information could prove helpful and that the orog leaders are most likely to have it, Grondar checks the three orogs to see if any still cling to life. If so, he will attempt to bind their wounds and stabilize their condition. Grondar will then inform Validar of the live prisoner.

Once the matter has been resolved one way of the other, Grondar will volunteer his magically-augmented strength in replacing the defensive blocks. If there is interrogating to be done, he doesn't really want to be present for it.

[Validar]

Sir Validar -

Rubbing his hands before the fire he raises his head as he hears his name. “Chareos, you can come with me as well to the upper level so that we can try and place the defensive blocks back in place."

“As you wish. Perhaps once we are done we could then search the upper chamber that was closed off to us.(Helm’s temple)"

"Indeed," Validar will answer. "I have every intention of us inpsecting each inch of this place. We will return to that area when the Fortress is reclaimed and as defensible as possible."


Yusef nods. "I have searched the dining facilities and the officer's quarters. While there was nothing particularly notable other than this slip of paper, I believe they can all be returned to normal use with moderate effort."

"That is good to hear," Validar responds. "The more of this place that is relatively intact, the easier our task will be to properly reclaim it completely."

That said, Yusef shows the message to Validar. "I believe it refers to what I already found in the Temple of Heironeous; the lightning bolts held by the statues point to a small hole in the wall which leads back to a room in the side of the mountain that was not marked on the maps. I believe there is a very good chance that the room will lead us to the Shield we seek."

"That does seem to imply that the area leads to something important. We shall be able to check on that once we have secured this area as best as we can. I would be most pleased to be able to inform Lord Sharadin in three days we he arrives that we not only secured the Fort, but also reclaimed one part of the Guardian Shield."

"Since you and Chareos seem to have the most interest in this riddle, I think you should continue on its discovery once we have some more free moments. For now, I think we should concentrate our efforts on determining what else may be here on this level and the one below it."

[Argent]

Argent:

Right before the attack is to begin, there is movement behind the Web! A giant wolf comes forth with grayish fur. It begins to howl loudly, forcing the attack to begin before the enemy hears it’s baying.

“What a marvelous fur coat its skin would make”, Argent remarks.

The fighting is brutal and quickly over with. The outcome is never really in doubt.

‘Nice shooting, Lass,” he says as he raises his hammer in acknowledgement.

“Why thank you, noble dwarf,” the Invoker says in response.

“Anyone have a Detect Magic spell handy? They might have enchanted items with them.”

Argent, would you let the anchor group know that we have defeated the orcs? Then go on up and tell Corley and Olivia to join us on the second level. Chareos, you can come with me as well to the upper level so that we can try and place the defensive blocks back in place."

“Consider it done, Sir Knight.” But before departing, Argent hears the following.

"Once that is completed, we need to begin the process of repairing the damages done here. We will need to explore the caverns that the Dire Wolves are in to make sure that the humanoids are not using an underground route to come here. And we will need flyers to do reconnaissance on the approaching enemy and see how far they are away. I would prefer to take the attacks to them if possible, rather than wait here for their arrival."

“I still have at least an hour left on my flying spell,” Argent informs Validar. “Coupled with one of those marvelous protection from cold spells, I could use that time scouting out the immediate surroundings of the Fort. At least find out if the enemy is bearing down on us or not.”


Should Validar agree, Argent will fly up to the main body of the group and inform them of the outcome to the battle. She’ll ask one of the priestess for a cold protection spell. Argent recalls Ivy saying that she had them. Then she’ll alert Sir Corley before flying off to scout.

[Ivy]

Ivy:


“A wise man once said that the waiting is the hardest part,” Ivy mutters while nervously pacing.

She hears what sounds like a wolf howling off in the distance and it forces he hands to her mace. What is going on down there?

Finally, Argent arrives and informs us that the fighting is over and no one has been injured.

“Blue Lady be praised!”, Ivy says in relief. If Argent asks for an Endure Cold spell, Ivy will cast it upon her.

Sir Validar returns soon after that.

“I guess we can start the settling in process then. Getting the kitchen up and running seems like a good place to start. Warm food and drink would be most welcomed in this bitter cold.”

[Aria Stonehand]

Aria:

The dwarven battlemaiden eyes the large wolves wearily. She’s only heard stories about wolves of that size, but does not think them a match for her axe.

The battle begins and Aria rushes to engage the enemy. Her axe swings in wide arcs and is buried deep upon its blade. She screams an incomprehensible battle cry as she fights. Just like that it is over with. She uses her boot to force a lifeless orc body off of her blade.

Validar will then climb the rope to the next level. There he will address the group that is there. "We managed to defeat the orcs and while the place may not be completely secure, I think it wise to start to put the defenses back in place."

“Aye,” Aria agrees. “Let us seal this place off and see if we can get the furnace to work. The intact block will need to be moved to the Broken Lands side of the fort to secure it. We’re going to need everyone who is strong to move these blocks. They are not light.”

[Lyonessa]

Lyonessa:

The rest of the Guardians await the results of the battle below. Lyonessa does a head count and finds that Yusef is not among them, but he has been wandering off. She also realizes that there was a halfling among them earlier, the Master Finder Rat. He’s nowhere to be seen!

Panic touches Lyonessa as she realises Yusef and Rat are missing! Hearing something in one of the rooms as she is searching them out, Lyonessa advances cautiously. Seeing it is Yusef, she sighs in relief. "Oh good," she tells him, although Yusef probably has no idea what she's refering to. "Say, have you seen Rat anywhere about? I can't remember the last time I saw him."

The fight apparently went flawlessly and very quickly. Lyonessa is relieved no one was injured. When she approaches Validar with her discovery, he doesn't seem overly worried.

Upon being told that Rat and Yusef have wandered off, he will add, "Those with interest can continue to explore this level. We will need to do so anyway. When Corley arrives, we will try to move these blocks back into place and close up the gates."

Lyonessa will continue to search for Rat in case he stumbled into a trap or was taken. She wishes she could be confident enough as Validar seems that the halfling is probably just exploring, however she can't. While everything seems secure, there could still be something that lurks about.

[Sherra]

Sherra:

Outside the warehouse, Sherra and Arocken keep an eye on the web and the giant wolf that is howling behind it. Unexpectedly, Arocken sets his bow aside and approaches the Web.

“Wolves are very misunderstood creatures,” the elfin ranger states. “They are not normally particularly dangerous to humanoids. These ones here are just larger versions of the regular wolf.”

Speaking in soothing tones, Arocken tries to calm the wolf. His efforts seem to work and the wolf begins to calm down.

“You just have to know how to talk to them.”

Sherra stares in amazement as Arocken walks up and seemingly begins talking to the wolf. "That's a very handy skill to have," she will say to the elf. "Can it work on a large group of them, or will your friend 'speak' to the others on your behalf?"

The rest of the group wrap up the fight pretty quickly and emerge from the warehouse. She will smile when she sees Grondar and that he is unhurt. In fact, it seems none of them were injured at all.

Validar will then check on the situation in the yard with Sherra and Arocken. There he finds that Arocken has seemed to have made friends with one of the Dire Wolves. "Can you speak to it? Can you find out if there are more humanoids down below? Let me know what you find out. I will be on the second level working on the defensive gate."

Since Validar didn't seem to have any real plans for Sherra, she will remain with Arocken. Hopefully this wolf will provide some information and she can return to Validar with it. She will put her throwing knife away, but keep her bow ready just in case things don't remain peaceful for long.

[Acerion]

Acerion:

The combat with the regular orcs carries on hot and heavy. Sir Acerion nearly cuts the orc he was fighting in half with his Holy Weapon. One of the orcs that had been laying down tries to stab him with a military fork, but the attack is easy avoided. Acerion lashes out again and the fork bearer is dropped.

Burying his axe into the second orc, Acerion looks around quickly for any other foes. He watches as the last few seconds of the combat tick away and no foes remain. Pulling his axe free, he nods approvingly at everyone's actions.

Moving to the middle of the room, Validar addresses the group. "Lord Acerion, please secure the warehouse and make sure the enemy bodies are properly dealt with. Argent, would you let the anchor group know that we have defeated the orcs? Then go on up and tell Corley and Olivia to join us on the second level. Chareos, you can come with me as well to the uppe level so that we can try and place the defensive blocks back in place."

Wiping his axe clean, Acerion replies, "It will be done." He will do a quick but complete walk of the entire warehouse looking for anything or anyone that could be potentially harmful to their efforts. If nothing is noticed, he returns to the orc bodies.

Soon after Validar issues his wishes to be carried out. Not hearing any order directed to him he stays behind with Lord Acerion helping to strip the dead of armor, weapons and begin helping dispose of the bodies.

"Thank you for the help Farian," Acerion says to the dwarf. "This will go much faster with both of us." Acerion will join Farian and strip the orc and orog bodies before disposing of them. If Grondar is successful at stablizing one of the orogs, then he will make sure the prisoner is not left alone while they finish their work.

[Yusef]

Yusef:

"That is good to hear," Validar responds. "The more of this place that is relatively intact, the easier our task will be to properly reclaim it completely."

Yusef nods. "Agreed. It appears that third level is the only one greatly damaged."

"That does seem to imply that the area leads to something important. We shall be able to check on that once we have secured this area as best as we can. I would be most pleased to be able to inform Lord Sharadin in three days we he arrives that we not only secured the Fort, but also reclaimed one part of the Guardian Shield."

"Since you and Chareos seem to have the most interest in this riddle, I think you should continue on its discovery once we have some more free moments. For now, I think we should concentrate our efforts on determining what else may be here on this level and the one below it."

"As you wish," Yusef says and departs. There are still a number of rooms here that he hasn't investigated, so he begins doing so in a methodical manner, starting from where he left off by the officers' quarters.

[Grondar]

Grondar:

Seeing Sherra's beautiful smile, Grondar walks over to the human woman. "Fortunately, we struck quickly and they were not prepared for us. It appears the giant wolves gave you no trouble?"

“Aye,” Aria agrees. “Let us seal this place off and see if we can get the furnace to work. The intact block will need to be moved to the Broken Lands side of the fort to secure it. We’re going to need everyone who is strong to move these blocks. They are not light.”

"I would be happy to help once everything is resolved below," Grondar say with a nod. "I trust the battle went well for you, fair lady?"

[Validar]

Sir Validar -

Moving to the middle of the room, Validar addresses the group. "Lord Acerion, please secure the warehouse and make sure the enemy bodies are properly dealt with. Argent, would you let the anchor group know that we have defeated the orcs? Then go on up and tell Corley and Olivia to join us on the second level. Chareos, you can come with me as well to the uppe level so that we can try and place the defensive blocks back in place."

Wiping his axe clean, Acerion replies, "It will be done." He will do a quick but complete walk of the entire warehouse looking for anything or anyone that could be potentially harmful to their efforts. If nothing is noticed, he returns to the orc bodies.

(Since it has not been determined which of the bodies were still alive, I will refrain from commenting on that until MAD updates)

"Very good," Validar responds as Sir Acerion immediately takes command of the situation.

“I still have at least an hour left on my flying spell,” Argent informs Validar. “Coupled with one of those marvelous protection from cold spells, I could use that time scouting out the immediate surroundings of the Fort. At least find out if the enemy is bearing down on us or not.”

"That is a fine idea. With the cold protection, that would give us an initial indication of what is about. We will need to do further reconaissance if you do not initially locate the enemy army."


“I guess we can start the settling in process then. Getting the kitchen up and running seems like a good place to start. Warm food and drink would be most welcomed in this bitter cold.”

"Yes, Ivy of Azrella. That would indeed be a most welcomed accomplishment. We will have some people begin to collect all the damaged furniture and debris and use it to get the furnace going again. Each step to making this place more inhabitable is important."


Validar will then climb the rope to the next level. There he will address the group that is there. "We managed to defeat the orcs and while the place may not be completely secure, I think it wise to start to put the defenses back in place."


“Aye,” Aria agrees. “Let us seal this place off and see if we can get the furnace to work. The intact block will need to be moved to the Broken Lands side of the fort to secure it. We’re going to need everyone who is strong to move these blocks. They are not light.”

"I would not imagine so. Ideally, when the reinforcements come we will be able to have the damaged blocks fixed or replaced. For now, we need to make this Fort as defensible as possible for the troops that will be occupying it. I should think that we have sufficient individuals with magically enhanced strength as there are two 'giants' among us."


Upon being told that Rat and Yusef have wandered off, he will add, "Those with interest can continue to explore this level. We will need to do so anyway. When Corley arrives, we will try to move these blocks back into place and close up the gates."

Lyonessa will continue to search for Rat in case he stumbled into a trap or was taken. She wishes she could be confident enough as Validar seems that the halfling is probably just exploring, however she can't. While everything seems secure, there could still be something that lurks about.

Validar notices that the young bardess has a look of concern on her face. Noticing that Yusef is about, that concern must be about the halfling known simply as Rat. "I cannot say that I have had much experience with halflings, but I would think that as soon as Ivy has the kitchen up and running, we will know exactly where he has wandered off to." Validar is a bit light-hearted in his comments, but it is irritating. Bringing the unknown halfling along was not his idea, so the noble warrior hopes it doesn't end up causing them problems.


"That is good to hear," Validar responds. "The more of this place that is relatively intact, the easier our task will be to properly reclaim it completely."

Yusef nods. "Agreed. It appears that third level is the only one greatly damaged."

"That is very good news. The situation could have been much worse. As it is, this will remain a major reclamation project that will take until summer to properly complete I should think."

"Since you and Chareos seem to have the most interest in this riddle, I think you should continue on its discovery once we have some more free moments. For now, I think we should concentrate our efforts on determining what else may be here on this level and the one below it."

"As you wish," Yusef says and departs. There are still a number of rooms here that he hasn't investigated, so he begins doing so in a methodical manner, starting from where he left off by the officers' quarters.

"We will collect everything that is damaged or debris and use it to heat the furnace and kindle whatever coal may remain. Over the next three days we need to be ready for the reinforcements who will be coming and have a reasonably effective command post in place."

Our goals are to close up the entrance with the blocks, deal with the wolves, explore the caverns below level one, open the internal defensive blocks everywhere to allow access to all areas of the fortress, get the furnace running, remove all unrepairable items and debris and burn them, explore the immediate area and then scout until we locate the enemy. And of course, anything else anyone may think up or want to add, like searching more for the Guardian Shield.

[Validar]

Arocken -

Validar will then check on the situation in the yard with Sherra and Arocken. There he finds that Arocken has seemed to have made friends with one of the Dire Wolves. "Can you speak to it? Can you find out if there are more humanoids down below? Let me know what you find out. I will be on the second level working on the defensive gate."

"I cannot speak to the wolves directly, Validar. It is more of an empathy I share with them. I think I could convince them that we mean them no harm and to leave the area."

Arocken will try to calm the Dire Wolf and then once all is secure, will remove the Web and try to get them to leave through the Broken Lands side of the Fortress.

[GM Mad]

Post Closed